7 Quick Fixes To Save WWE SummerSlam 2018
4. A Sense Of Agency
In 1999, Chris Jericho's WWE career hung in the balance. Cut to shreds by locker room leaders and considered underwhelming in every area by his new bosses, 'Y2J' was told by Vince McMahon himself that his contract wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.
Instructed to have a great match with Sean 'X-Pac' Waltman upon threat of dismissal, Jericho swerved the dole queue with a blinder against the assured, established hand. McMahon told him to go to Waltman before every match, and whilst that process didn't last forever, it did shore up the WCW refugee as he adjusted his all-round game to fit the WWE style.
This was not the first time he was used as a litmus test. His immaculate understanding of the bigger picture inside and out of his own matches reflected his greater value to his employer. As The 1-2-3 Kid, he was used as a 1995 proving ground for every kind of talent that swung through a struggling WWE. As Sean Waltman the podcaster and Twitter personality in 2018, his mind is clearly just as strong even if his body begins to weaken.
Finish repetition, out-of-context character decisions and shoddy match production has had a pollutant impact on WWE pay-per-views of late. Waltman could do for the main roster what his best friends Shawn Michaels and Triple H are currently doing for NXT, if their egos allow him a place on the top table.